Baked Salmon with Tomatoes, Spinach & Mushrooms


Hello Fit-NOW Friends!

I found a recipe on the Fat Secret website that was posted by a member that found the recipe in a Kraft cookbook. Enjoy!



Baked Salmon with Tomatoes, Spinach and Mushrooms

Salmon fillets with complementary vegetables and a simple, tasty dressing.

Ingredients

  • 4 salmon fillets
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil sun-dried tomato dressing
  • 1 medium whole tomato, chopped
  • 1 cup pieces or slices mushrooms
  • 4 cups spinach

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 375° F (190° C). Place salmon fillets, skin side down, in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
  2. Mix remaining ingredients until blended; spoon over salmon.
  3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with fork.


Until Next time!
Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!
Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Don't Panic!


Hello Fit-NOW Friends!


We are going to take a break from FAST ways to lose weight article for a few weeks. We will come back to it soon.

Do you struggle with your diet? Does it feel like it is stalled? Don't panic! I found a great article in the Fitness magazine from a few years ago that will help kick start your weight-loss. The article is written by Sandra Gordon.

Ever felt that everyone you know seems to be losing weight, but when you try their dieting tricks, you don't have the same success? You may not be doing anything wrong. It could be that those strategies just aren't a good match for you. Achieving your goals is all about finding the specific lifestyle fixes that work for you - not your neighbor. Try these 14 tactics (you have nothing but weight to lose).

1.
Start with sneakers
Everyone knows it takes a combination of diet and exercise to lose body fat, but researchers now believe that it's best to tackle exercise first. "Once you invest time in a daily workout, you'll be motivated to make the more difficult dietary changes," says John Foreyt, Ph.D., director of the Nutrition Research Clinic at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

2. Make ambitious exercise goals

Instead of saying "I will exercise three days a week," plan to exercise everyday, even if you know you won't make it. Most of us accomplish only 60 percent of our weekly fitness goals, according to research from the college of Public Health and Health Professions at the University of Florida in Gainesville. So if you plan to work out for an hour every day, you'll probably make it to three or four workouts a week.

3. Find a groove

Blocking out an hour or two for a sweaty workout takes dedication. make the prospect a little more fun by buying an MP3 player or an iPod. A recent study from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey found that women who listened to music while walking lost twice as much wight at those who didn't. the music-listeners walked more often each week and adhered to the full program, which also included weekly dieting and group meetings, says the study's lead researcher, Christopher A. Capuano, Ph.D.

4. Keep your diet simple
Most successful losers are unadventurous when it comes to eating. "Too much variety actually stimulates your appetite," explains Holle A Raynor, Ph.D., R.D., assistant professor of research at Brown Medical School in Providence. "If you're faced with a ton of options, you'll likely east more just out of curiosity" (or perhaps because the various choices are right there, tempting you?) Curtail your dietary diversity by preparing dinners at home instead of eating out. Stick to cooking a few tried-and-true recipes with a wide range of nutrients, and rotate them often.

5. Overestimate your calories
Most dieters underreport the calories they consume by a third and overreport the amount of exercise they do by half, says Foreyt. Keeping an accurate journal allows you to objectively analyze what you're eating and why. "But even more than that, keeping a record helps you to stay committed to your goal," says Daniel S. Kirschenbaum, Ph.D., director of the Center for Behavioral Medicine & Sport Psychology in Chicago and author of The Healthy Obsession Program. When you do guesstimate, round up by a few hundred calories.


Check back next week for the remainder of the article! Remember, you need to find what works best for you! If something doesn't work, try something else.



Until Next time!
Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!
Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Memorial Weekend


Hello Fit-NOW Friends!

Please take a moment this Memorial weekend to remember and honor those that serve our country. We send a thank you to all that serve for all you do for our country. I came across the poem below and wanted to share with you.














As we stand here looking
At the flags upon these graves
Know these flags represent
A few of the true American brave

They fought for their Country
As man has through all of time
Except that these soldiers lying here
Fought for your country and mine

As we all are gathered here
To pay them our respect
Let's pass this word to others
It's what they would expect

I'm sure that they would do it
If it were me or you
To show we did not die in vein
But for the red, white and blue.

Let's pass on to our children
And to those who never knew
What these soldiers died for
It's the least we can do

Let's not forget their families
Great pain they had to bear
Losing a son, father or husband
They need to know we still care

No matter which war was fought
On the day that they died
I stand here looking at these flags
Filled with American pride.

So as the bugler plays out Taps
With its sweet and eerie sound
Pray for these soldiers lying here
In this sacred, hallowed ground.

Take home with you a sense of pride
You were here Memorial Day.
Celebrating the way Americans should
On this solemnest of days.
© 1999 by Michelle Keim,
Commander of Royersford VFW Post 6341 in PA.


Please have a safe and relaxing long weekend!


Until Next time!

Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!
Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Butternut Squash & White Bean Soup


Hello Fit-NOW Friends!

I was cleaning out my office and came across some old Fitness Magazines. Although they are several years old, they are still filled with great information and yummy recipes!



Butternut Squash & White Bean Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups chopped onion
1 butternut squash (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
5 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
2 15-ounce cans white beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoon orange juice
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the squash, salt, and spices. Cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Add water or broth and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in beans, juice, and vinegar. Puree in a food processor or blend. Add salt and pepper to taste.


Enjoy!


Until Next time!

Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!
Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Volume 4 - FAST Ways to Lose Weight


Hello Fit-NOW Friends!

Here are some more great ideas to put into our weight loss tool bag! Let's not forget, it takes a combination of these ideas to help shed those pounds. There is no one quick fix.
16. Eat Slowly if You Want to Lose Quickly

Our bodies don’t register that they’re full and satisfied for 15-30 minutes after we get full... eating slowly will ensure you’re not over-stuffing yourself when you don’t even mean to! Also, our saliva contains enzymes that help break the food down while we are still chewing, so the more thorough you are when chewing, the more healthy nutrients you will be able to get out of the food you are eating. Try chewing each piece for 7-10 times before swallowing and see the difference — not only you will feel fuller faster, you will also have better digestion and a better overall health in a matter of weeks. And the end result — that weight melting away!
17. Indulge in a Treat Occasionally

Depending on your weight loss goals, set those days when you will allow yourself to indulge in a treat, may it be a dessert or your favorite cocktail or something else you are avoiding in order to lose weight. For me having a chocolate cake once a week worked just fine, although before I used to have sweets every day. Pick the hardest day of the week for you and have your little treat after a proper meal that day. Not only it will help with the cravings, it will also help make that day more pleasant. And don’t worry, a dessert after a proper meal once a week won’t hurt your weight loss progress. As long as you keep implementing other fast ways to lose weight from this list.
18. Replace Unhealthy Foods & Drinks

One by one, substitute the unhealthy foods and drinks in your diet with their healthy versions; this is one of the most important fastest ways to lose weight. Start by replacing soda with water or sparkling water with lemon to make it more interesting. Once you conquer that height, reach for another, substitute white bread with wholegrain, a big piece of chocolate cake with a small piece of high quality dark chocolate (Lindt and Godiva have the best dark chocolate bars, just do not have the whole thing at once.)
19. Fastest Ways to Lose Weight - Banning Soda Altogether

It will be perfect for your weight loss if you stop drinking soda altogether and substitute it with water. However, it’s not an easy habit to break. So if you absolutely can not live without a sweet drink, replace soda with fresh squeezed juice or home made lemonade. Assuming you drink 16 ounces per day, you’ll save more than 43,000 calories a year by ditching the soda. And what a big improvement for your weight loss progress and overall health that would be! Some people think they are not putting on weight as they drink diet soda. But the worst part is, diet soda is even worse than regular soda. So, the only way to do it is to stop drinking any kind of soda altogether.



20. Drink Plenty of Water, Especially if You Feel Hungary

If you feel hungry, you may actually be thirsty, as at first, thirst is translated as hunger in our brains. So try drinking a little water and in a few minutes see if you are still hungry before you indulge in a snack. Drinking plenty of water in general is very beneficial to your health and drinking water can help you lose weight faster.


Until Next time!

Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!
Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

That's my Story & I'm Sticking to it!

Hello Fit-NOW Friends!

HAPPY FRIDAY! I thought we might start off this wonderful weekend with some funny humor. Laughter can be a great workout!


Good old Garfield, always there to make us laugh!

An UK website for Weight Loss Resources says the idea that laughter benefits health has been around for many years, possibly because it reduces muscle tension, increases the amount of oxygen in the blood, exercises the heart and produces happy chemicals in the brain called endorphins. It certainly makes sense that laughing would burn more calories too, as a result of the extra movement and increase in heart rate linked with laughing.

You don’t burn heaps of extra calories but as any slimmer knows, it’s little changes that make big differences. Plus, having a laugh usually makes most of us feel more positive about life – and ultimately, this can help us feel better about ourselves and make us more motivated to lose those excess pounds.

If nothing else, adding laughing to your list of weight loss tips gives you the perfect excuse for watching your favourite comedy or having a few more night’s out with friends!         


Until Next time!

Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!
Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Spring Chicken Salad


Hello Fit-NOW-Friends!

I hope your week is going well. I came across a really YUMMY looking dinner in the Food Network magazine.

Spring Chicken Salad
Total time: 20 mins; Prep: 14 mins; Cook: 6 mins

Yield: 4 servings



Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound small red-skinned potatoes, halved
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 romaine hearts, torn
  • 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed and meat shredded (about 2 cups)
  • 1 Kirby cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced
  • 4 radishes, cut into wedges
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

Directions

Place the potatoes in a small pot and cover with water. Season with salt, cover and boil until fork-tender, about 6 minutes. Drain and cool.
Meanwhile, pulse the chives, tarragon, vinegar, yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a food processor. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and pulse to make a thick dressing.
Toss the romaine, potatoes, chicken, cucumber, radishes and bell pepper with the dressing in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.



Until Next time!
Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!
Have an awesome day!
♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Volume 3 - FAST Ways to Lose Weight


Hello Fit-NOW Friends!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend and Mother's Day! Back to working on implementing some new healthy ways to live in our everyday lives. How is that going? Have you tried any of the ideas? What is working for you? Please share with us.



11. Keep a Healthy Snack With You:
A small container of salad, grapes, an apple, even some flavored low-cal rice cakes would do. If a snack-attack strikes, you’ll be prepared… and won’t have to seek out the high-calorie, high-fat junk in the vending machine!

12. Schedule Your Snacks:
We’ve already covered the reasons why eating 5 times a day is an absolute must for all of us who want to lose weight fast and keep it off. What we also need to do is to make sure we snack on a schedule too! 5 time meal schedule means a good breakfast, lunch and dinner. And the other 2 meals are healthy snacks we need to have in between the big meals. To make it easier to remember when to have your snacks, schedule them 3 hours after breakfast and before lunch, and 3 hours after lunch, which would also be 3 hours before dinner. Eat at the same time every day and your body will know exactly when to expect its next meal. Hence, no unnecessary cravings, emotional eating, off-schedule snacking etc. which are just a few things that prevent us from successful and fast weight loss.

13. One of the Easiest Ways to Lose Weight - Don't Stock up on Junk Food:This is also one of the most effective ways to lose weight, Ladies. Just don’t buy junk food and don’t bring it home, it’s that easy! You can’t crave what you don’t have. Well, even if you do crave it, you don’t have a choice but have something else, much healthier instead. When I start craving french fries, for example, I simply microwave a nice big potato and have it with a little bit of sour cream and spices. It tastes delicious, and the cravings? They are gone the minute I think of a baked potato I am about to have!

14. Have Dessert After a Proper Meal: The big mistake many of us make is having just a dessert instead of a proper meal to keep the calorie intake down. But the thing is, anything sweet makes your blood sugar skyrocket, which automatically leads to storing fat no matter what you put in your mouth afterwards. But if you have a real meal first (complex carbs, veggies, proteins) and then have your dessert, your sugar levels will go up smoothly, without creating a spike and without causing you store fat.

15. Share Your Dessert: When having that occasional dessert after a meal, share it with your someone special. You will still get to taste the good stuff, but without calories piling up. And it does not even taste that good after 3-4 pieces, when your taste buds are already used to it. But you already know that, right? So, indulge in moderation, share and keep losing that weight fast!


Until Next time!

Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!
Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Happy Mother's Day!


Hello Fit-NOW Friends!

Life is inherently risky. There is only one risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing. Get out there and make something happen, even if it’s just a small step in the right direction. Strive for progress, not perfection. From the Marc and Angel Hack Life website.


Everyday is Mother's Day, but make Sunday extra special for your Mom, Grandma, Step-Mom, friend, "Second" Mom, or whatever variation of someone special in your life.

Until Next time!
Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!
Have an awesome day!


♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Simple Turkey Chili


Hello Fit-NOW Friends!

I personally love Turkey Chili! It's easy, hearty, healthy, and always leaves left overs for the next day. I will usually add a diced bell pepper if I have one in the fridge. I will also add a can of black beans, if I have a can. That's the best part about chili, add or delete what you like. You can serve this with lowfat Cheddar cheese and lowfat sour cream. It's also delicious with crackers. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 (28 ounce) can canned crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (16 ounce) can canned kidney beans - drained, rinsed, and mashed
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black peper 
Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Place turkey in the pot, and cook until evenly brown. Stir in onion, and cook until tender.
2. Pour water into the pot. Mix in tomatoes, kidney beans, and garlic. Season chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.               
Prep time: 15 mins.  Cook time: 45 mins  Ready in: 1 hour

Nutritional Value:
Amount Per Serving Calories: 185 | Total Fat: 6.1g | Cholesterol: 42mgPowered by ESHA Nutrient Database


Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!

Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Volume 2 - FAST Ways to Lose Weight


Hello Fit-NOW Friends!

Where you able to add any of the ideas last week into your routine? Please share your comments with us what you tried and how it worked! Did you miss the ideas last week, click here to view the first set of ideas from the allstalkwoman.com website article written by Jennifer.

6. Go easy on the Bread if you want to lose weight faster:
It’s best to avoid bread altogether, but if you necessarily must have some, opt for whole grain bread, rather than processed white bread. It has fiber and it has way less calories. And it tastes better too! It might take some time to start eating less bread, but once you do, you’ll see that this is probably one of the most effective and fastest ways to lose weight.

7. Ditch the salad dressing and other salad toppings:
Salads with loads of leafy greens are marvelously nutritious and low-cal, unless you cover them in salad dressing and croutons. One of the fastest ways to lose weight is to have as much salad as you can, only substitute the dressing with some vinegar, olive oil or lemon juice. Your body will be spending more energy on digesting these salads than it will be getting out of them, so you’ll be shedding pounds like never before if you start eating a couple of salads without traditional dressings every day.

8. Do NOT Starve Yourself If You Want to Shed Those Pounds and Keep Them Off:
This is a common mistake many of us do, when trying to find a way to lose weight. I’ve been there and from my personal experience I can say that skipping meals in order to lose weight is not working. First of all, it’s very hard and distracting, as you can not stop thinking about food, and second of all, the few pounds I managed to lose came back in abundance the week I started eating normally. The thing is, starving ourselves puts our bodies in a “starvation mode” which basically means the body is trying to reserve the very same fat that we are trying to burn off. And don’t forget what a toll it takes on your overall health and your metabolism… Eek!

9. Eat 5 meals a day, Rather than 3 big ones:
The more often you eat, the less hungry you feel before each meal, which inevitably leads you to consuming less when you eat more often. Just make sure the 2 snacks you have in-between the meals are actually healthy. Boiled eggs, or a piece of chicken breast and a salad will be the perfect choice. If you decide to have a yogurt or a fruit, have it after your salad or protein snack.



10. Don't Skip Breakfast if you Want to Lose Weight:
This is the meal that feeds your body through its most busy… and studies have shown that eating a healthful breakfast helps you lose weight faster. Make sure your breakfast contains plenty of complex carbs (a hearty bowl of oatmeal is the perfect example). If still hungry, you might add some protein (eggs) and vegetables.




Until Next time!
Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!
Have an awesome day!


♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Got Motivation?


Hello Fit-NOW Friends!

Do you struggle with Motivation? I do on a regular basis in many different parts of my life. I'm realizing that there are two parts to Motivation, the getting started and putting the Habit into place to keep going.


I came across the following S.M.A.R.T. way to set goals on the Marc & Angel Hack Life website:
S.M.A.R.T. goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. Let’s briefly review each:
  • Specific – A general goal would be, “Get in shape.” But a related specific goal would be, “Join a health club and workout 3 days a week for the next 52 weeks.” A specific goal has a far greater chance of being accomplished because it has defined parameters and constraints.
  • Measurable – There must be a logical system for measuring the progress of a goal. To determine if your goal is measurable, ask yourself questions like: How much time? How many total? How will I know when the goal is accomplished? etc. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued efforts required to reach your goal.
  • Attainable – To be attainable, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. In other words, the goal must be realistic. The big question here is: How can the goal be accomplished?
  • Relevant – Relevance stresses the importance of choosing goals that matter. For example, an internet entrepreneur’s goal to “Make 75 tuna sandwiches by 2:00PM.” may be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, and Timely, but lacks Relevance to an entrepreneurs overarching objective of building a profitable online business.
  • Timely – A goal must be grounded within a time frame, giving the goal a target date. A commitment to a deadline helps you focus your efforts on the completion of the goal on or before the due date. This part of the S.M.A.R.T. goal criteria is intended to prevent goals from being overtaken by daily distractions.
When you identify S.M.A.R.T. goals that are truly important to you, you become motivated to figure out ways to attain them. You develop the necessary attitude, abilities, and skills. You can achieve almost any goal you set if you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that once seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them.

Then keeping this in mind when we stumble and fall with our Goals, Motivation & Habits.

"No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying."

Let's keep moving forward Fit-NOW Friends!

Until Next time!
Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!
Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Szechwan Shrimp


Hello Fit-NOW Friends!

I've been cruisin the allrecipes.com website for some new dinner ideas. Here's a new one I've never tried before. The author of the recipe said, "Don't let some of the ingredients fool you -- this spicy shrimp makes a simple, impressive dish for any occasion!" It is recommened to simply adjust the amount of red pepper depending on how "spicy" you like your dish. Serve over hot steamed rice or vegteables.


Ingredients
  • 4 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup sliced green onions
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 12 ounces cooked shrimp, tails removed
Directions
  1. In a bowl, stir together water, ketchup, soy sauce, cornstarch, honey, crushed red pepper, and ground ginger. Set aside.
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in green onions and garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in shrimp, and toss to coat with oil. Stir in sauce. Cook and stir until sauce is bubbly and thickened.               
Nutritional Values:
Amount Per Serving Calories: 142 | Total Fat: 4.4g | Cholesterol: 164mgPowered by ESHA Nutrient Database


Until next time!

Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!

Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥